Nearly 40 football players from all classifications in Kansas attended the first ever Preseason Testing Combine in Salina, Saturday, August 9, with several athletes posting good numbers in the pro agility drill, broad jump, vertical jump, bench press, medicine ball toss and the 40 yard dash.
The event, held at the Sharp Performance headquarters in Salina, and sponsored by Kansas Pregame, included sessions on recruiting and training following completion of the combine.
"Jake and I were thrilled with the turnout," Kansas Pregame publisher John Baetz said. "For marketing this event for only three weeks and holding it at a different time of year than most other combines, we were pleased with the outcome. We had representatives from every classification and all parts of the state. It was good for the kids to get to compete with some of the state's best players, and from different schools than they were used to seeing."
There were several notable performances highlighted by some of the best football players in the state in their respective classifications:
6A
Olathe North lineman Marcel Williams did 12 reps of 225 on bench press, ran a 4.59 pro agility drill, and heaved the medicine ball 36 feet, 10 inches. The 6 foot, 253 pound senior offensive guard and defensive lineman is one of 17 returning starters for one of the top teams in 6A. Williams earned All-Sunflower League honors, and honorable mention all class from the Topeka-Capital-Journal for his work on the defensive line last year.
5A
Goddard-Eisenhower junior defensive back Brett Huelsmann may have posted the most impressive time of the day with a 4.06 in the pro agility drill on his second attempt. It appeared to be no fluke, with a 4.16 on his first try. The 5-10, 163 pounder also ran a 4.84 40 yard dash, posted a 29.3 inch vertical, and tacked on a broad jump of 8 feet, 10.5 inches. Huelsmann was a unanimous All-AVCTL II safety for the Tigers last year as a sophomore.
Great Bend senior defensive lineman and fullback Jayce Brack was amongst the strongest of the strong men on the day, ripping off 13 reps at 225 on the bench and blasting the medicine ball 41 feet, 9 inches. But Brack, a DI track recruit who can throw the shot 60 feet also showed agility with a 4.66 time in the pro agility drill and explosiveness with a broad jump of 8 feet, 10.5 inches at six foot one and a half inches tall, and 277 pounds.
Great Bend sophomore Cal Marshall had a solid day running a 4.89 40 yard dash, scoring a 32.1 inch vertical leap, and adding a jump of 9 feet, one half inch in the broad jump. One of just six broad jumps of greater than nine feet on the day. Marshall measured in at 5 feet, 8 and a half inches, and 163 pounds.
Wichita Heights junior quarterback Garrett Haskins ran a 4.21 pro agility, posted a vertical jump of 31.3 inches, ran a 4.93 40 yard dash, and showed explosion in his med ball toss with a heave of 33 feet, eight inches at just 5-9, 160 pounds. This will be Haskins first year as the Falcons starting quarterback and coach Terry Harrison called him a dual-threat to run or pass in this year's Kansas Pregame.
Wichita Heights safety Creighton Sanders played the part of a returning starter recording a 4.31 pro agility, a standing broad jump of 8 feet, 10 inches, and tallying five reps with 185 on bench all at 5-11, 168 pounds. Sanders also posted a 4.9 40 yard dash and 27.4 inch vertical.
4A-I
Abilene running back Tanner Hoekman showed why he's one of the top seniors in Kansas with a nice mix of speed and power. At 6 feet, one half inch tall, and 191 pounds, Hoekman posted a 4.84 in the 40, a 4.19 in the pro agility drill, and powered out 14 reps at 185 pounds to go along with a medicine ball toss of 39 feet, 2 inches. Those numbers show why the senior to be piled up 500 yards rushing through the last three games of 2013.
4A-II
Pratt sophomore Hunter Kaufman showed impressive quicks with a 4.25 pro agility drill. At just 5 feet, 7 and a half inches tall, and 135 pounds, Kaufman is already entering his second year as a starting defensive back for the Greenbacks.
3A
Central Heights linemen Chance Schooler and Jacob Anderson proved to be among the strongest athletes on the day. At 6-1, 207 pounds, Schooler did 11 bench press reps at 185 pounds and heaved the med ball 34 feet. Anderson stood 5-10, and weighed 226 and tied Brack with the days best bench press with 13 reps at 225 and posting med ball toss of 39 feet. The senior duo hopes to lead the Vikings back to the playoffs after a 5-5 record a year ago.
Ellsworth's Takota Anderson, a senior quarterback, ran a 4.7 second 40 yard dash and also posted a broad jump of 9 feet, 2 and a half inches. Anderson rushed for 846 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
Minneapolis senior Gage Mortimer turned some heads with his performance. The 5-11, 169 pound running back ran a 4.81 40, a 4.38 pro agility, posted a 29.8 inch vertical, and reached 9 feet, 4.5 inches in the standing broad jump. He added 7 reps at 185 on bench and a med ball throw of 33 feet, 8 inches.
Southeast of Saline quarterback Cody Schlesener, a 5-10, 158 pound senior, ran a 4.87 40 yard dash, a 4.22 pro agility drill, and posted an 8 feet, 8 inch broad jump. Schlesener returns to the starting line-up at SES after passing for 916 yards with 13 touchdowns and only four interceptions last fall.
2-1A
Belleville-Republic County junior fullback and middle linebacker Derek Vanous just missed 30 inches on the vertical jump posting back-to-back 29.8 inch jumps. At 5-11, 191 pounds, he also posted a med ball toss of 32 feet, 6 inches.
Bennington junior running back/defensive back TJ Ragnoni posted a 4.86 40 yard dash, a 4.19 pro agility drill, and a broad jump of 9 feet, one-half inch to be among the leaders in all three categories on the day. The 5-7, 150 junior is also one of the top wrestlers in the state.
Ell-Saline senior quarterback Louie Arceo showed nice speed with a 4.79 40 yard dash, and demonstrated incredible strength for his size with 14 bench reps at 185 and a med ball toss of 32 feet, 5 and one-half inches. The 5-9, 157 pound senior is one of seven returning starters for the Cardinals.
Oakley seniors Dylan Gassman and Ryan Kuhn showed why the Plainsmen could again be among the toughest teams in 2-1A. At 5-10, 228 pounds, Gassman showed impressive mobility with a 4.57 pro agility drill and raw strength by posting 15 reps at 185 pounds. Kuhn matched Gassman in the strength department with 7 reps at 225. The 6-1, 249 pound senior was one of the best defensive linemen in 2-1A last year with a whopping 22 sacks.
8-Man I
Kansas Pregame coverboy Layne Bieberle, a senior. measured in at 6-0, 159 pounds and ran a 4.79 40 yard dash, a 4.31 pro agility drill, posted the day's best vertical jump at 33.5 inches, and back-to-back broad jumps of 9 feet, 9.5 inches. He also showed solid strength for his size with six reps at 185 pounds on bench and a med ball toss of 34 feet, 6 inches. The Central Plains senior is among the best receivers in Kansas and last year caught 46 passes for 1,048 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Kiowa County's Aaron Heft showed a powerful upper-body, knocking out 16 reps at 185 on the bench press and tossing the medicine ball 35 feet, 4 inches. At 5 feet, 10.5 inches tall and 256 pounds, Heft, a junior, is entering his third year of plowing through opposing offensive lines after posting 54 tackles with 17 tackles for loss last season.
Lincoln junior Zac Walter had a strong showing at the combine. Walter, a 6 foot, 187 pound quarterback and safety for the Leopards ran a 4.31 pro agility, posted a 30.6 inch vertical, a 9 foot broad jump, and a 35 foot med ball toss along with nine bench reps at 185. Walter rushed for over 1,500 yards and 24 touchdowns last year and tallied 140 total tackles.
Check back with Kansas Pregame on Facebook and Twitter for more details and results from the day, and look for more events from Sharp Performance and Kansas Pregame
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